What a Wonderful Life
by WonderTilTheEndOfDays
Summary: "Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been." A drabble/oneshot collection of what life may have been like if the Potters had survived that fateful night at Godric's Hallow.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! Thanks for checking this out. This collection is pretty much explained by the summary - it's a series of short drabbles about the Potter family, if James and Lily had survived. This is mainly just family fluff. :)**

**Enjoy!**

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"_Harry!_"

Lily Potter set her book down and quickly hurried out of the house, that now-familiar feeling of paternal anxiety welling up inside her chest. Her eyes scanned the large, green yard, searching for the source of the frightened yell she had just heard. "Harry?" she called, head turning frantically as she searched for her son. "Harry, where are you?"

A faint cough drew her gaze to the far right side of the lawn. The seven year-old was sprawled out on the grass, cradling his wrist. Lily let out a small, short gasp and immediately ran up to her son, emerald eyes wide with concern. She gently laid a hand on Harry's back, leaning closer to inspect him for injuries. Upon finding nothing too serious, she turned her attention to his hand. "Oh, Harry…" she mumbled softly, and took out her wand. Carefully, she took ahold of her son's wrist, an action that drew out a tiny wince from the injured boy.

After she had healed him, Lily rested a hand on her son's shoulder. "What happened?" she asked. "Did you trip?"

Harry shook his head, his eyes flicking from his mother to another spot on the yard. Looking behind her, Lily was surprised to see James's broom lying on the ground, a few feet away. She'd been so worried about her son's condition that she hadn't even noticed it.

Lily sighed lightly, and turned back to Harry. "What were you doing with your father's broom?" she asked in a gentle yet stern tone.

Guilty green eyes fixed a stare on the grass, and Harry mumbled something unintelligible. Lily raised a single brow. "What was that?"

"I wanted to fly, like Dad," he replied, more clearly.

"You have a broom of your own," Lily said. "Why didn't you just use that one?"

Harry shrugged. "I dunno. It's just not as fun. My broom only goes a few feet in the air, but Dad's goes _way _higher. Besides, I'm never going to get anywhere on a kid's broom."

"What do you mean, 'get anywhere'"?" Lily asked, confused.

Her son gave her look, as if to say _isn't it obvious_? "You know, the big teams, like Puddlemere United."

Lily grinned. "You want to play professional Quidditch?"

Harry looked insulted at his mother's disbelief. "Not just _that_," he defended. "I also wanna be Quidditch captain for Gryffindor, and...and the best player Hogwarts has ever seen!" He looked up at his mother, wearing an expression of pride and ambition. "I'm going to the _best_, Mum."

Laughing softly, Lily wrapped an arm around her son, helping him stand up. "You are _just _like your father," she said, smiling widely. "Now, let's go put up his broom and get yours. You two can train all evening when he gets home from work."

Still grinning, Lily picked up James's broomstick and walked her son inside. _Just like his father indeed._

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**Thanks for reading! Reviews are loved. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

_Green-Eyed Boy in a Blizzard_

_Prompt: _Blizzard

_Pairing: _Lily/James, Harry/Lily/James family

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"Where's Harry?"

James Potter looked up from the latest edition of _Quidditch Weekly_, frowning. He quickly scanned the living room for his son before settling his gaze on Lily. "I just saw him, not two minutes ago. He was right over there." He jerked his head to the entrance of the kitchen.

Lily sighed deeply, placing her hands on her hips and giving her husband a pointed look. "Well, he's not there, or _anywhere_, for that matter. I've searched the entire house and I can't find him."

James shrugged. "You know Harry. He's probably just hiding somewhere." With a small smile, he added, "Listen hard enough and you'll probably hear him giggling."

The two parents, despite James's teasing tone, went silent for a moment, straining their ears for any childlike laughter. Hearing none, Lily put a hand on her chest, eyes starting to flick all over the room - her parental anxiety was making its inevitable appearance. "James, what if he's -"

She suddenly broke off, eyes fixed on the backdoor. James followed her gaze, and felt his heart drop through his stomach.

The door was cracked open.

_Their son had gone out in the middle of a blizzard_.

With a cry of, "What was he _thinking_?" Lily raced through the kitchen and out the backdoor, not even bothering to grab a coat. James heard her shouting Harry's name in a panic as he followed his wife out into the yard.

Snow rained - no, _hammered _down on him as he scoured the lawn, yelling his son's name. He could hardly see, the blizzard was so strong. Lily's cries began to fade as she searched and farther and farther along their large property - what had he been _thinking_, taking them to Potter Manor for the holidays? He should've known something like this would happen.

As much as it pained him to leave his wife in such dangerous weather, he knew that they'd find Harry faster if they split up. Turning the other direction, he began to trudge through the deep snow, chilled to the bone and filled with worry and fear.

Minutes passed. His heart pounded slower and slower, the cold freezing his joints. Merlin, if _he _was already nearing the point of hypothermia, how was his five year-old son fairing?

_Don't think about that_, he told himself. _Just find Harry_.

It had been at least ten minutes of searching when James stopped in his tracks, having finally heard something.

"Dad!"

It was faint - barely discernible - but it was there nonetheless. "Harry!" he shouted, making his way towards the sound of his son's voice. "Stay right where you are! Don't move"

"_Dad_!"

The walk towards his son felt like an eternity. When he reached him, curled up in the snow, James bent down, picked him out, shouted, "Lily! I found him!" and began the journey back to the manor.

"It's okay, son," he whispered, holding Harry close to his chest. "You'll be fine. We're almost there." The boy gave no response; he merely trembled in his father's arms.

He continued to mutter assurances until he finally reached his destination. Once inside, he hurried to the living room, where he sat Harry down next to the fireplace. Taking out his wand, he opened up his son's coat - _thank Merlin he remembered it _\- and began casting heating charms.

Lily came inside a minute later, drenched and shivering. "Harry!" she exclaimed, running up to her son and kneeling beside him. She laid a gentle hand on his forehead before turning to look at James. "Is he alright? Is talking? Is he _breathing_?"

James grabbed Lily's hand in his. "He's _fine_, Lils," he assured her. "He had a coat, and he knew to curl up to preserve warmth." He smiled fondly at his son. "Smart little kid, isn't he?"

Lily let out a sigh of relief, shaking her head in pure disbelief. "Why would he be so reckless?"

"Well, he _did _say earlier that he wanted to go out into the snow. He was probably just curious." He gave his wife a look. "Not unlike someone I know."

Rolling her eyes, Lily whacked her husband on the arm. "Shut it, you miserable old toe-rag."

A small cough turned both of the adults' attention downwards. Harry's eyes were open and foggy, and he was gazing at his parents guiltily. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, looking rather ashamed. "I just wanted to know what a blizzard was like. I thought it would be cool."

James glanced at Lily, half-expecting her to tear into him. Instead, however, she simply smiled gently and told him, in a semi-stern tone, "It's fine, darling. Just don't do it again, alright?"

Harry nodded, and James nearly snorted. _You can be such a softy, Lils._ Smiling, he took his son's tiny hand.

_But then, so can I. _


End file.
